2013 First XI
Final League Position = 5th, 253 Points
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National 20/20 Competition
Pudsey Congs v Driffield CC
At York CC
Sunday August 11th, 2013
Match Report
Next up for Congs were Driffield who defeated the South Yorkshire T20 champions Hallam in their opening game. Congs made 175-7 with 55 of their runs coming in the last four overs. Nick Lindley led the way with 47 off 25 balls. He struck two sixes and four fours in an innings which won him the man of the match award. Bairstow (31) and Callum Geldart (29) were the other main contributors.
Driffield were restricted to 138-9 as the Congs secured a comfortable 37-run win . Good bowling from Burzler (3-25), Glenn Roberts (2-25) and and Butt (2-34) kept Driffield in check despite opener Mark Clarksons (46) and 37 from Mark Drury
Congs put into bat and got 175-7
Nick Lindley 47 off 25 and Andrew Bairstow 31 off 23
Driffield 138-9
Congs Won by 35 runs
National 20/20 Competition
Pudsey Congs v Bourne CC
At York CC
Sunday August 11th, 2013
Match Report
Pudsey Congs have done themselves and the JCT600 Bradford League proud by winning the regional semi-final of the ECB National T20 competition on Sunday at Clifton Park , York.
The 2013 Dyson Insulations Twenty/20 Cup winners chased down a score of 157-6 by the Lincolnshire Senior League side Bourne.
Eugene Burzler (3-34) and Babar Butt (2-17) reduced the Lincolnshire side to 86-5 before Tom Dixon (47) and Rob Bentley (31no) added 74 for the sixth wicket to boost their team’s score.
Congs eased to a five-wicket win with 3.1 overs to spare. Callum Geldart 65 off 47 balls with four sixes and six fours. Andrew Bairstow was unbeaten on 33 when victory was achieved.
Bourne CC 157 after 20 overs
Congs 158-5 – Callum Geldart 65
Congs win by 5 wickets with 3 overs left
Pudsey St Lawrence v Pudsey Congs
At Tofts Road
Saturday August 10th, 2013
Match Report
Pudsey St Lawrence openers Adam Waite (113no) and Mark Robertshaw (74) shared a magnificent partnership of 162 as their side romped passed Pudsey Congs’ score of 218 for the loss of just one wicket.
Waite hit a six and 15 fours in his innings while Robertshaw took his aggregate of runs in league and cup matches to 1,025 for the season.
Pudsey Congs had also got off to a good start with Callum Geldart (75) and Nick Lindley (59) putting on 122, but once they were parted the innings went into decline against the bowling on leg spinner Tom Hudson (5-56) and James Smith (5-60).
Pudsey Congs v Bradford & Bingley
At Britannia Ground
Saturday August 3rd, 2013
Match Report
Bradford & Bingley eased their relegation fears with a second-successive win in a low-scoring encounter at Pudsey Congs.
Chris Thompson took 4-31 and Matthew Simpson (3-31) as Congs were dismissed for just 113, but Bradford & Bingley were made to struggle for their three-wicket victory. Skipper Phil Slater’s 42 proved crucial as Eugene Burzler took 4-64.
Lightcliffe v Pudsey Congs
At Wakefield Road
Saturday July 27th, 2013
Match Report by Jonathan Curtis
Congs managed to consolidate their top 4 position with a tense victory at Lightcliffe.
As in the T20 semi-final 6 days previous, Lightcliffe won the toss and elected to bat. Richie Lamb took an early wicket but the second wicket pairing of Alex Stead and Chris Taylor took the team total up to 71. This partnership was broken when the quick hands of Jack Seddon stumped Taylor of the first ball of a Glenn Roberts over. 5 balls later, Roberts picked himself upon another wicket with a well taken catch off his own bowling to bring Lightcliffe 79-3. Shortly after a batsman mixup allowed Seddon to run out David Hester for cheap, and only a few overs after Roberts benefitted from an LBW decision which was clearly not agreed with by the home side. Roberts, who was as economical as ever finished a full 15 over spell conceding only 30 runs off, managed his 4th and final wicket of the day in the 40th to remove Alex Stead. A vital and much needed breakthrough, as Stead finished on 68 made up of 9 fours and a six and looked certain to be able to add more in the final 10 overs. However the loss of Stead did not impact Lightcliffes final overs too much with Jonathan Wilson and Josh Wheatley at the crease they managed to add on 42 in the final 3 overs from the Congs bowlers. Wilson finished on 50* as the home side finished on 180-6 setting a tricky challenge for a Congs batting lineup that has been somewhat out of nick in the past month.
Callum Geldart and Nick Lindley helped the chase start well with some of the most sensible and smartest batting seen so far this season. Both played excellant shots and kept the required run rate down to a managable rate. This is highlighted moreso with Geldart reaching his half-century with 82 balls. When Lindley was given out LBW on the stroke of drinks, Congs were 92-1 and over halfway to their target. This was Congs highest 1st wicket partnership in the league this season. With Babar Butt now at the crease, some tight bowling from Josh Wheatley and Suleman Khan helped Lightcliffe reign Congs back and it wasn’t long until Babar Butt was caught after playing a lofted shot trying to help push the run rate along. At 112-2 after 34, Congs were behind the required run rate. This was helped back slightly with Geldart and Andrew Bairstow adding another 20 runs, before Oliver Robinson struck. In consecutive overs, he bowled Andrew Bairstow then trapped Callum Geldart LBW who finished on 68. Congs continuing to make their batting hard work, as much as been the case this season, made it even harder as Eugene Burzler was stumped leaving Gareth Roberts and Jack Seddon the reasonable task of 39 runs off the final 7 overs. The pair did see these 39 runs off in fine style scoring boundaries where possible and leaving little answer for the Lightcliffe bowling unit. Phillips finished the game with a boundary with 8 balls left to seal a good 16 point win for the Congs. While the result may naturally have been a little closer than Congs would care for with the time left, it was a close quality game of cricket and a good advert for the sport at this level.
Lightcliffe v Pudsey Congs
Semi Final
At Wakefield Road
Sunday July 21st, 2013
Match Report
Congs lost their T20 title after failing to reach a target of 192 set by Lightcliffe. A solid 53 off 44 balls from skipper Chris Taylor helped the home side in a batting card that for the most part all contributed to keep the scoreboard ticking over at a quick rate, even by T20 standards.
While Congs started off at decent rate, the steady loss of wickets ensured the visitors never threatened the target with the highest score being 29 achieved by both Jack Seddon and Nick Lindley. Congs finished on 154-9, which while a par score for 20 over matches was still 37 runs short of their target.
Woodlands v Pudsey Congs
At Albert Terrace
Saturday July 20th, 2013
Match Report
Pudsey Congs hopes of breaking into the title fight are all but over after a comfortable defeat by Woodlands on Saturday. With Jack Seddon back into the side, Congs were put into the field by a Woodlands team who had won only one of their last 4 games. Congs struggled throughout, even with an early breakthrough from Richie Lamb and the bowling side keeping it relatively tight for the first 35 overs. Woodlands showed their class and quickly advanced their score after the seconds drink break putting on 137 runs for the final 14 overs to set a daunting 261 to win. Woodlands batsman Simon Mason finished on 154 after being given a reprieve earlier on after a mixup led to the Congs fielding failing to take a catch which at the time would have offered Congs a chance to get back into the game.
Congs once more never really got going with the bat with poor shot selection and decision making ended up 53-7. Mubtada Aktar was the highest scorer on 29, however this was another innings to forget for the Congs as they were bowled out for 112 to gain only 2 points from the match, while the home side won the maximum 20.
Pudsey Congs v East Bierley
At Britannia Ground
Saturday July 13th, 2013
Match Report by Jonathan Curtis
Congs claimed a league double over East Bierley this season with a hard earned win, despite a scare following another woeful display with the bat.
With a near full strength side with only wicketkeeper Jack Seddon out, Congs started well after being put into the field. After openers Lamb and Burzler each started off well the visitors found themselves 22-3 after the first 12 overs despite a big LBW appeal not given. After the change in bowling, East Bierley found themselves getting going somewhat thanks to a couple of sixes off straight drives from Andrew Rennison. After a couple of decent partnerships, both Eddie Walmsley and Glenn Roberts made vital breakthroughs to trap Richard Atkins and Yasir Abbas LBW. Runs were added mainly from Andrew Rennison who played solidly, reaching his 50 after 100 balls to keep the visitors ticking over. However East Bierleys last 4 wickets fell cheaply as Congs in the end comfortable achieved all bowling points. A highlight of the innings was a superb catch of Babar Butt diving exceptionally low to finally dismiss East Beirley for 133. Glenn Roberts bowling clincially as usual finished a full 15 over spell with 2-13.
The chase of 133 could not have started much worse for Congs, losing skipper Gareth Phillips on just the 4th ball. Callum Geldart got the innings going for the Congs, however the introduction of Luke Jarvis for the visitors proved worthwhile as he trapped Ash Slater LBW with the Congs on 30-2. Geldart continued to bat well and reached his half milestone before being caught on 59. Wickets continued to fall as Congs inched towards the target following the departure of Eugene Burzler and Babar Butt as Kez Ahmed took 36 runs for 2 wickets and Luke Jarvis took 5 wickets for 51 in their 15 overs to give East Bierley hope. The experience of Andrew Bairstow added 25 and pushed the Congs on, but the home team still found themselves 125-8, just 9 behind the target. The ninth wicket partnership of Glenn Roberts and Mubtada Aktar saw the Congs home with 2 wickets to spare to secure a 16 point win.
Next up is a crucial match as the Congs visit Woodlands.
Pudsey Congs v Baildon
Second Round
At the Britannia Ground
Tuesday July 9th, 2013
Match Report
Holders Pudsey Congs, who will visit Lightcliffe on Sunday July 21st in the Semi Final, overpowered Baildon to reach the last four. Congs triumphed by 116 runs and it was their batsmen who set up their success. Callum Geldart (61) and skipper Gareth Phillips (34) launched the innings with a partnership of 101. That was followed by an unbroken third-wicket alliance of 118 between the promising second team batsman Ashley Slater (61no) and Nick Lindley (51no). Slater, who recently made a double century and a century in successive innings for Congs’ second team, made his runs off just 29 balls. Lindley faced the same number of deliveries for his 51.
Babar Butt, who took five victims behind the stumps in the first round win at New Farnley, showed off his bowling skills this time by taking 4-13 as Baildon were dismissed for 104. Richie Lamb took 3-36 as Baildon were dismissed for 104.
Saltaire v Pudsey Congs
At Roberts Park
Saturday July 6th, 2013
Match Report by John Taylor
Pudsey’s inconsistent form continues; this week they beat Saltaire by 6 wickets at Roberts Park.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, Saltaire made steady progress and were set fair at 82-2 before the first of several controversial incidents in the game. Saltaire’s overseas player Kharam Shazhad was given out handled ball whilst preventing the delivery from hitting the wickets. From there on in, their innings fell away to be bowled out for 167 in the 49th over.
In reply Pudsey were making good progress with Callum Geldart promoted up the order. Ashley Slater was run out backing up by the bowler off his first ball, before Geldart was needlessly run out for 49. It was left to Nick Lindley (43 not out) and Andrew Bairstow (29 not out) to see the side home.
As an aside, the level of needle and dissent in this game left something to be desired – as has been common at many games this season. Perhaps a thought for the Bradford League executive should they not wish to be embarrassed in this manner again. Let’s hope that the many people in the park for a pleasant day enjoying the sunshine just didn’t notice that aspect of the game.
Pudsey Congs v Cleckheaton
At Britannia Ground
Saturday June 29th, 2013
Match Report by Ralph Middlebrook
How 20 batters failed to prosper on a blameless pitch with a fast outfield on a perfect summers day astonished me. Exceptions to this Callum Geldart, partially, and Richard Whitehurst completely. The general opinion, to which I agree, was poor shot selection. The game got off to a poor Congs start when Nick Lindley shouldered arms to the first ball which must have swung to leave him LBW. He was inconsolable for the rest of the innings. The next three batters, Phillips, Bairstow,and Walmsley departed in quick succession and it was left to Geldart and promoted Roberts, to repair the damage which they were doing until Geldart top edged a sweep to be caught at fine leg, the first of three Congs batters to perish sweeping. To sweep is exciting but dangerous and needs to be practised regularly not occasionally. It must be said that James Lee and John Wood had bowled well with Andrew Deegan reaping the rewards for their early skills. Roberts and Burzler departed in successive overs (poor cricket) and with 13 overs left the Congs were in disarray. The tail, although they are all capable batters failed to bat in search of a second bonus point leaving a jubilant Cleckheaton with 2 extra overs to score 146.
Skipper John Wood lasted one more ball than Lindley before Geldart claimed a magnificent catch at first slip high and fast to his left, wonderful. Eugene Burzler, though expensive, dragged the Congs back into the match with a hostile spell of quick bowling claiming the next 5 wickets as the Cleckheaton batters, by and large spurned their use of the conditions collapsing to 98 for seven. For once Roberts and Walmsley could not break through as Whitehust took command of the situation calmly scoring 53 to clinch an important win for the visitors.
As well as our bowlers performed, and maybe with a slice of good fortune (couple of sharp chances?) we could have won, but the approach from our batters MUST improve. Very disappointing.
Hanging Heaton v Pudsey Congs
At Bennett Lane
Saturday June 22nd, 2013
Match Report by Jonathan Curtis
Congs gained some payback for their disappointing Priestley Cup exit with a comfortable win on Saturday. With a second trip in less than a week for a league meeting, Congs were without Babar Butt who is out recovering from surgery. For the third match in succession, Congs lost the toss and were put into bat, however this time things went a lot more smoothly due to 86 off 110 balls from Andrew Bairstow and a quickfire 24 runs in the final 3 overs led Congs to finish on 210-7.
With 4 batting points in the bag, Glenn Roberts and Ed Walmsley once again bowled well to keep the run rate down and take the wickets at the crucial times. Both bowlers kept it tight with 12 maidens combined, but most outstandingly, Ed Walmsley took 7-29 off his full 15 over spell to set a new best amongst the Congs bowlers so far this season. Hanging Heaton were bowled out for 123 to provide a very welcome 19 point win and a return to 4th place in the league.
Congs next face second placed Cleckheaton in a crucial match at the Britannia who are fresh off the back of a win at Woodlands last weekend.
Pudsey Congs v Morley
At Britannia Ground
Saturday June 15th, 2013
Match Report by Jonathan Curtis
Congs defended a modest 150 to avoid defeat against bottom club Morley at the Britannia. With one change from the squad which won their first round match the previous Tuesday, the home side lost the toss and were asked to bat. Throughout the innings, wickets fell at regular intervals in which partnerships never fully developed. After Congs struggled the get going, the veterans of the squad came to the rescue. First Babar Butt got the Congs going with 6 fours and a six, before he was caught for 38. This was followed up by Andrew Bairstow’s 31 and finally as wickets were running out, Glenn Robers hit a 37* as Congs finished on 150 with 3 overs left.
Morley started well in their pursuit of 150 and put on 42 for the first wicket, however the introduction of Glenn Roberts and Edward Walmsley put the brakes on the Morley run rate. Roberts finished with 6-32 and 7 maidens out of 15 overs bowled while Eddie had an economy of 1.87. Babar Butt also chipped in with 2-24 to help bowl Morley out for 128. Congs won by 22 runs (17 points) to keep the pressure on the teams above while Morley’s struggles continue.
New Farnley v Pudsey Congs
First Round
At the Barry Jackson Ground
Tuesday June 11th, 2013
Match Report by Jonathan Curtis
Congs started their T20 defence in style with a comfortable win at second division New Farnley. After choosing to bat, 6 out of the top 7 of the batting order reached double figures as Congs finished up 185-7 after 20 overs. New Farnley never looked like challenging the target as the difference in quality of the two divisions was clear with the Congs reducing their opponents quickly to 13-5 with quick wickets from Richie Lamb and Glenn Roberts, aided by some quick stumpings by Babar Butt who had unusually taken possession for the gloves for the innings. The home team were bowled out for 85, and Congs set up a quarter final tie with Baildon at the end of June.
Manningham Mills v Pudsey Congs
At Scotchman Road
Saturday June 8th, 2013
Match Report by Jonathan Curtis
Congs continue their inconsistent form with their visit to Manningham Mills in a key 4th vs 5th clash. With no Glenn Roberts, Congs were put into the field. The bowling attack of Richie Lamb and Eugene Burzler started off well with a wicket each to have the hosts 18-2 however a partnership from opener Adal Islam and Zarak Khan set Manningham well on the way to a formindable target with a 165 partnership. When the partnership was finally broken in the 40th over Congs woes continued as Mills went onto get 88 runs from the last 10 overs. In the process of doing this, wickets fell a lot easier than at the start of the innings to allow Congs to at least pick up maximum bowling points.
In the chase of the hosts 276, Congs never matched the hosts start and quickly found themselves at 48-5. After a recovery of sorts with the final 4 wickets adding 118 runs, Congs were eventually bowled out for 203. A silver lining of the day was Mubtada Akhtar who contributed his first real contribution to the team reaching 66* in a big last ditch effort, however he ran out of batting partners as Congs crashed to a 73 run loss.
Baildon v Pudsey Congs
At Jenny Lane
Saturday June 1st, 2013
Match Report by Jonathan Curtis
Congs returned to winning ways as they beat struggling Baildon on Saturday at Jenny Lane.
Following the disappointing loss to neighbours St Lawrence on Bank Holiday Monday, Congs named one change as Mubtada Akhtar returned to the 1st team ahead of the unavailable Eugene Burzler. Having lost the toss and being sent into the field, Congs knew they would have to bowl well on a wicket that initially did not seem to be offering a lot. Baildon started well despite the early two wickets to fall, and with a 3rd wicket partnership that steered the home team to 88-2 at drinks looked on their way to setting the Congs a solid target. Batsman Kasir Maroof looked set having reached his half ton, only to be caught out in the 28th over. This triggered a Baildon collapse for 154 with no more noteworthy individual contributions from the Baildon batsman in the face a bowling lineup which lacked the in-form Burzler. Opener Ritchie Lamb picked up a wicket for 41 runs while Eddie Walmsley picked up 2 for 35 as well as an outstanding run out of the non-striker, diving down to deflect a straight drive off his own ball onto the stumps. However the star of the first innings was Glenn Roberts who finished with a remarkable 22-5 off 13 overs to lead Congs to claim the maximum 5 bowling points.
Having successfully chased down 2 of the 4 targets they had been set so far this season including a cup victory a fortnight earlier against the current hosts, Congs set out to chase 155 off 52 overs. Skipper Gareth Phillips joined Nick Lindley to open who had been struggling in recent weeks. This showed how Lindley took his time to get himself in, while Phillips wasted no time playing some textbook cricket shots to get the Congs going, and by the time he got himself trapped LBW just 4 short of his half ton, Congs were 71-1 with contributions of the first wicket partnership of 46 to Phillips and 16 to Lindley. Even with the quick wickets of Babar Butt and Callum Geldart following some good Baildon pressure at the halfway point, Lindley had found his touch to help Congs make comfortable progress reaching his half ton after 104 balls faced and eventually finishing on 64. Andrew Bairstow at the other end put on a solid 22 as Congs reached their target with 15 overs remaining.
The two wickets gave Baildon a consolation point, however this was not enough to keep them off the foot of the table with results going against them. Pudsey Congs collected 17 points to lift them up to 4th. They are now 28 points behind leaders Woodlands and 3 points behind joint second St Lawrence and Cleckheaton. Congs will now travel to 5th place Manningham Mills on Saturday, followed by a trip to New Farnley in the Twenty/20 Cup the following Tuesday.
Pudsey Congs v Pudsey St Lawrence
At Britannia Ground
Monday May 27th, 2013
Match report
Chris Marsden had arch-rivals Pudsey Congs in a spin as St Lawrence won the Pudsey derby by 64 runs.
Marsden continued his fine start to the season by taking 5-20 in 15 economical overs as his side recorded their second win of the weekend to move up to third in the table. He was ably supported by new Zimbabwean fast bowler Richard Muzhange who chose the perfect moment to reduce his best figures to date of 4-62 as Congs were bowled out for 153 in reply to St Lawrence’s 217-8.
One man who didn’t deserve to be on the losing side was Congs’ all rounder Eugene Burzler. He followed up his season’s-best bowling figures of 6-64 with an unbeaten knock of 79. St Lawrence had built their total around the decisive contributions of skipper Mark Robertshaw (74) and James Smith (48).
Bradford & Bingley v Pudsey Congs
At Wagon Lane
Saturday May 25th, 2013
Match report
Pudsey Congs old guard of Babar Butt, Andrew Bairstow and Glenn Roberts were the key figures in their side’s 19-run win over struggling Bradford & Bingley.
Butt (60), Bairstow (52) and Eugene Burzler (51no) guided Congs to a total of 232-5, then Roberts took 4-44 as Bradford & Bingley were restricted to 213-8. Skipper Phil Slater (74) and Ryan Cooper (74) batted well but they couldn’t raise the tempo sufficiently to force victory.
Pudsey Congs v Baildon
Sovereign Healthcare Priestley Cup Second Round
At Britannia Ground
Sunday May 19th, 2013
Match report
Pudsey Congs veteran Babar Butt made a quick fire 59 and he was matched by new boy Callum Geldart, who also scored 59, as Pudsey Congs chased down Baildon’s 214-9 to win by five wickets. They shared a third wicket stand of 115 which carried their side into a match-winning position. Baildon’s top scorers were Simon Webb (46) and Jonny Reynolds (37) while Richie Lamb (3-47) was the pick of the Congs’ bowlers
Pudsey Congs v Lightcliffe
At Britannia Ground
Saturday May 18th, 2013
Match rained off
Scholes v Pudsey Congs
Second Round
At Chapelgate, Huddersfield
Sunday May 12, 2013
Match report By John Taylor
The second round of the Heavy Woollen cup was abandoned, after a match reduced to 30 overs per side. The match is be re-arranged for a mutually agreed date.
Batting first Pudsey made an early breakthrough, when Scholes’ overseas player Joe Carter was caught in the slips without scoring. Thereafter wickets fell at regular intervals, and it was only thanks to reasonable partnerships of 34 for the fifth wicket and 48 for the eighth wicket ensured a respectable total of 164 after 30 overs. The best bowling figures were 3-19 for Richie Lamb and 3-36 for Mushy Shah.
Replying in continuous drizzle, Congs were obviously playing to win by comparsions with the run-rate after 15 overs. However, the umpires took the teams from the field after seven overs, when Congs were 47-1 in reply.
**UPDATE – May 17th, 2013**
Last Sundays match score was Scholes 163 all out Congs 47-1 after 7 overs , then came rain. Umpires agreed a bowl out was dangerous so we agreed to replay the game on 26 May.
In stepped the Heavy Woollen committee, saying umpires were wrong a result had to be decided on the day.
Conclusion- tonight at 5.30pm there was a toss of the coin between our captain and their captain, Congs lost so we are out of the Cup.
Pudsey Congs v Woodlands
At Britannia Ground
Saturday May 11th, 2013
Match report
Previously unbeaten League Leaders Pudsey Congs dropped to fourth place after suffering their first defeat of the season by 90 runs against Woodlands.
Opening batsmen Scott Richardson (92) and Sam Frankland (52) provided the platform for a victory which lifted the champions into third place with a stand of 143. Richardson’s innings contained two sixes and 12 fours, but nobody was able to match his fluency as Woodlands lost momentum to finish on 205-8. Richie Lamb (4-38) and Edward Walmsley (3-42) pegged Woodlands back, but their side couldn’t take advantage,
Congs struggled against Sarfraz Ahmed (4-24) and Chris Brice (4-23) as they were bowled out for 115.
Pudsey Congs v Morley
Sovereign Healthcare Priestley Cup First Round
At Britannia Ground
Sunday May 5th, 2013
Match report
Morley 179 (49.1 overs) (Mushy Shah 4-36)
Pudsey Congs 180-9 (49.4 overs) (Callum Geldart 33, Gareth Phillips 45)
Pudsey Congs beat Morley by 1 wicket
Division One leaders Pudsey Congs scraped a one-wicket win over Morley in a nail-biting game at the Britannia Ground. The last-wicket pair of Richie Lamb and Mushy Shah nervously eeked out 14 priceless runs to see our side home with two balls to spare as they overhauled a Morley score of 179.
Skipper Gareth Phillips (45) was the top scorer for Congs while Callum Geldart (33) and Glenn Roberts (29) scored runs at a crucial time as spinners Kashif Naveed (3-27) and Dave Nebard (3-31), posed problems.
For Congs, leg spinner Mushy Shah took 4-36 as nobody was able to post a significant contribution for Morley despite four of their batsmen reaching the twenties.
Cleckheaton v Pudsey Congs
At Chain Bar, Moorend
Saturday May 4th, 2013
Match report By John Taylor
Pudsey Congs 163 (39.5 overs) (Ed Walmsley 38, Jack Seddon 46)
Cleckheaton 123 (49.0 overs) (Richie Lamb 6-31)
Pudsey Congs 17 pts beat Cleckheaton 5 pts by 40 runs
Pudsey Congs continued their fine run of form at the start of the season with another comprehensive victory, this time by 40 runs against Cleckheaton at Moorend. This, combined with other results, sees Congs sitting 11 points clear at the top of the table after this weekend’s games.
Following a similar pattern to previous games, Congs batted first and struggled against the new ball – the first three batsmen were all back in the pavilion with the score on only 14. Although wickets continued to fall the scoring rate remained at well over four runs an over. Attacking field positions and the punishing of the occasional bad ball ensured a fair few boundaries. The innings was held together by a seventh wicket partnership of 67 between Jack Seddon (46) and Ed Walmsley (38). With the score at 139-7 with 17 overs left a decent score was looking probable. However the last four wickets fell for 13 runs, and Congs were bowled out for 163, gifting Cleckheaton an extra 10 overs.
In reply Cleckheaton’s top order were decimated in only 24 balls (with Richie Lamb taking four of those wickets in 11 balls) to leave the innings in tatters at 13-5. It seemed to be a damage limitation exercise for Cleckheaton, especially once Richard Whitehurst was sixth out with the score on 34. Decent partnerships for the next three wickets frustrated Congs, and probably frayed a few nerves, and it wasn’t until the 49th over that Cleckheaton were bowled out for 123. Richie Lamb was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 6-31 from his 13 overs.
Pudsey Congs v Saltaire
At Britannia Ground
Saturday April 27th, 2013
Match report by John Taylor
Pudsey Congs 214 (50 overs) (N Lindley 50,E Burzler 54,J Seddon 31, A Ejaz 3-40, M Khan 5-36)
Saltaire 64 (G Roberts 3-14)
Pudsey Congs 19 pts bt Saltaire 5 pts By 150 runs
Pudsey Congs recorded their third successive win of the season with a 150 run victory over Saltaire at the Britannia Ground. They now sit one point clear at the top of the early season league table after two games played.
Batting first Congs were quickly reduced to 25-3. An 82 run partnership for the fourth wicket between Nick Lindley (50) and Eugene Burzler (54) laid the platform for a large total, before a middle order stutter saw Congs lose 5 wickets for 62 runs. Mubtada Akhtar (26) and Glenn Roberts (19) shared a 38-run partnership for the ninth wicket to ensure that Congs batted out their overs and finished with an all out total of 214.
In reply, only Mansha Khan (16) and Danish Hussain (10) reached double figures for Saltaire. Wickets were shared around with three for Glenn Roberts and two each for Lamb, Burzler and Shah ensuring that Saltaire were bowled for only 64 with 12 overs remaining.
Pudsey Congs v Woodlands
First Round
At Britannia ground
Sunday April 21st, 2013
Match report By John Taylor
Pudsey Congs 132 all out (41.3 overs)
Woodlands 106 all out (37.5 overs)
Pudsey Congs won by 26 runs
Following Pudsey Congs’ return to the Heavy Woollen Cup competition they may have been dismayed to find themselves handed a very testing tie against Bradford League Champions Woodlands. Not to worry though, as in a tight, low-scoring game they overcame their opponents by 26 runs; in the next round they have been handed the potential run-fest of a far-away trip to Scholes of the Huddersfield League.
On a damp and grey day Pudsey batted first and were 0-1 after the second ball, Lindley caught in the slips off the bowling of Sarfraz Ahmed. Wickets fell regularly on a difficult pitch to score on; top scorers for Congs were Mubtada Akhtar (27), Ed Walmsley (24) and Andrew Bairstow (23). A final total of 132 all out was reached in 42 overs.
In reply Woodlands emulated their hosts (0-1) and the top order were quickly dispatched. After four overs Woodlands were 7-4 and seemingly out of the game. But never say never, as Chris Brice and Usman Salim put on 47 for the fifth wicket before Brice was bowled by Ed Walmsley for 18 in the 21st over. Another partnership between Salim and Swanepoel for the sixth wicket threatened Congs before the last four wickets fell for 13 runs leaving Woodlands 106 all out and Congs the victors by 26 runs.
East Bierley v Pudsey Congs
At South View Road
Saturday April 20th, 2013
Match report By John Taylor
Pudsey Congs 183-9 (50 overs) (James Middlebrook 40)
East Bierley 182-9 (Mark Gill 36, Glenn Roberts 7-38)
Pudsey Congs 17 pts beat East Bierley 7 pts by 1 run
Pudsey Congs started the 2013 League season with an exciting 1 run victory against East Bierley at South View Road; exciting that is in the last ten overs or so. For the first time in a while I was able to settle down and snooze for most of the first innings, having at last successfully delegated the scoring to somebody else.
Having fallen asleep there can’t have been many highlights in the first innings, although the scorecard suggests that wickets fell quite regularly. James Middlebrook top scored with 40, and I also remember Mubtada Akhtar putting a few big sixes into the adjacent gardens in his 26 from 19 balls. All of this contributed to a total of 183-9, and with Luke Jarvis taking 4-31 offered a bit of encouragement to Congs with four spinners in their lineup.
In reply, Glenn Roberts captured Congs’ career best figures of 7-38 to kill off most of Bierley’s top and middle order. However, with runs accumulating the game looked like Bierley’s to lose – which they conspired to do. They looked well set until Rennison was needlessly stumped to leave the score at 120-5 with 10 overs left, still needing another 64 to win. Needing another 51 from 7 overs looked a little tough, but some big last overs set up a tight finish.
Needing 12 from the final over bowled by Ed Walmsley, five came from the first two balls. Davis was bowled on the third ball, and with one run from the next two balls Bierley needed a six (and Pudsey a wicket) from the final ball. Neil Gill blasted the last delivery, which fortunately bounced just short of the boundary to leave the final score at 182-9 and Pudsey the victors by 1 run.